"Mother, Grand Mother, I think I've found something."
"You think?" said her Grand Mother. "We have no time for theories, child."
"These are facts, Grand Mother. I just witnessed the spermatozoa from two different mice at war. All of the swimmers left the egg unfertilized while they battled with each other."
Both of the older women looked at her expectantly.
"And? What is your inference?" asked her Mother.
Merlyn swallowed. "I hadn't made one yet."
Her Mother's face frowned.
"I only just witnessed the phenomenon." At the end of her statement, Merlyn's voice squeaked like a mouse's.
Her Grand Mother went back to her tea.
"I just wanted to present the findings quickly in case... in case they were useful."
"You came to us with incomplete work, Merlyn," said her Mother. "Did you expect us to complete it for you? We have our own work to do."
And with that, the women went back to their conversation. Merlyn was, effectively, dismissed. She trudged back down the hall to the lab. Sitting down at her table, Merlyn pushed away the culture. She looked out the window at the gardens.
The landscape was different. Most of the flowering plants had been mowed down and replaced with green bushes. There was no longer a burst of color from her window, as when she was a girl.
Merlyn reached over to the colorful potted plant that sat directly in the sunlight on her desk. The green leaves weren't looking so healthy. The red starburst now drooped in the center. The plant had survived years of harsh winters. It was springtime now, and it looked as though it were fading. Merlyn reached under a leaf to lift the bud, but she met with one of its thorns.
"Ouch!"
She yanked her hand back. There was no blood, but a small twinge of pain remained. Merlyn pressed her lips together and kissed her finger.
"Are you all right, my lady?"
Merlyn jumped.
Liam stood behind her, first aid kit in hand.
"Liam. I forgot you were here."
Liam's face was unreadable. He plucked a bandage from the kit and handed it to her.
"I'm fine. It's only a prick."
"You should get rid of that plant," Liam eyed the plant distastefully. "That's not the first time it’s hurt you."
"I'll be more careful," Merlyn said.
Liam turned back to his desk. Instead of putting the first aid kit away in the cabinet, he left it out on his desk.
Merlyn gave the plant a fleeting look and then bent back over her microscope.
3
Jaspir clenched his fist. A sharp pain shot through his hand. No, not his whole hand. Just one finger. He rubbed the spot on his finger pad with his thumb.
"Is something wrong, my love?"
Jaspir looked down. In the sea of sheets lay a very satisfied woman. Her nipples were still erect. A sheen of sweat glistened on her skin. Her hands were thrown over her head and her eyes peered up at him, hazy, unfocused.
Jaspir leaned down and planted a light kiss on her lips. Her hands immediately snaked around his neck to pull him closer. Jaspir allowed the embrace. He allowed her to plunder his mouth and take what she wanted from him.
"I've brought you a gift," she said when she released him. She reached down to the floor, the covers falling away from her ass. For a woman in her early fifties, she was still lovely to behold. She returned with a watch in her hands.
"I've purchased so much of your time," she took his wrist and wrapped the band around it. "I figure I should give you some in return."
Jaspir raised the watch to the low light in the room. The watch was pure gold, surrounded by jewels. He turned back to her.
"Thank you." He planted a kiss at the spot where her neck and shoulder met, giving it a light lick. She shuddered. Jaspir pulled back and stared into her eyes. "I will treasure this always."
Her eyes bored into his, a possessive glint taking light. Jaspir steeled himself for the onslaught to come.
"Let me take you away from all of this, Jaspir. You know my love for you is real."
Jaspir rose from the bed. Her hands reached for him, but he was beyond her grasp.
Like many women past their childbearing years, who now sought pleasure from sex their bondmates could not give them, Lady Myra was a frequent visitor to Stallions.
Stallions was not the only bordello in the city, but it was the safest, most reputable one. Having trained as a Pleasure Hound in his youth, Jaspir was very popular with the ladies who patronized the bordello. Most of the men had little to no experience with women and couldn't please them the way Jaspir had been taught. This made Jaspir a very valuable commodity at the establishment.
"I would give you everything you desire," Myra pleaded.
Jaspir raised the hand with the watch, but it wasn't the gold that caught his attention. It wasn't the reflecting light of the jewels that made him wince. He straightened his fingers. The one that hurt earlier still had a dull throb. He caressed it with his thumb, then brought it to his lips.
"I can buy out your contract."
Jaspir wasn't under a contract any longer. He'd paid that off himself two years ago. He was here of his own choice. But it was easier to let his clients believe otherwise.
Jaspir slipped on his pants. He turned as he pulled and tied the drawstrings at his hips. Lady Myra was momentarily distracted by his bare chest. Jaspir put his hands on his hips. He knew this would flex the muscles of his shoulders and flatten the planes of his abdomen. Myra's eyes flared with desire.
"You know they'll never let you back in this place if you keep trying to steal away its employees, my lady."
Jaspir waited for her to meet his eyes before he allowed the sadness to infuse him. When she saw it, her expression changed from desire to compassion.
Jaspir hung his head. "I would hate to be deprived
